Wednesday creators worked on a pre-Robert Downey Jr. Iron Man script for a year – and the studio wanted Tom Cruise to play Tony Stark

News
By published

Al Gough and Miles Millar once worked on an Iron Man script

The creators behind Wednesday have revealed that they worked on an Iron Man script years before Robert Downey Jr. stepped into the Marvel role – and Tom Cruise was once floated as a potential top pick to play Tony Stark.

"[Marvel Studios founder] Avi Arad had come to us after [we wrote the story on] Spider-Man 2," Al Gough said on how the wheels started turning on Iron Man (via Happy Sad Confused).

"After Spider-Man 2, they say, 'guys, we've got another crown jewel – which is Iron Man,'" fellow creator Miles Millar recalled.

He continued, "So, we did a draft, several drafts. We worked on that for probably a year. We went in with Kevin [Feige] and Avi, and I guess [New Line Cinema founder Robert Shaye] had read it. It's an interesting thing with generations trying to still connect with what a superhero is. He got all tied up that Iron Man could fly, because Superman could fly… we all sort of walked out of the meeting like, 'We don't think this is going to happen here.'"

Except, it could have been very different – if New Line got their first choice.

Bradley Russell
Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.